17. Coordination

Ms. Nieves, of Bridgeport, received five food stamp notices in five weeks, telling her how much to expect: $241, $256, $429, $492 and $460.
2) Use a dash or dashes to emphasize nonrestrictive elements; Dashes may be used in place of commas or parentheses to set off and emphasize nonrestrictive elements. They are especially useful when these elements are internally punctuated. Be sure to use a pair of dashes when the element interrupts a main clause.
3) Use a dash to set off introductory series and concluding series and explanations. Introductory series: Shortness of breath, skin discoloration or the sudden appearance of moles, persistent indigestion, the presence of small lumps– all these may signify cancer. Concluding series: The patient undergoes a battery of test-- CAT scan, bronchoscopy, perhaps even biopsy.
Teachers have heard all sorts of reasons why students do poorly; psychological problems, family illness, too much work, too little time. Teachers have heard all sorts of reasons why students do poorly: psychological problems, family illness, too much work, too little time. Teachers have heard all sorts of reasons why students do poorly-- psychological problems, family illness, too much work, too little time.
His hair was white and stood up wildly on his head; nevertheless I was struck by a singular neatness in his appearance.
By a conscious effort of the mind, we can stand aloof from actions and their consequences; and all things, good and bad, go by us like a torrent. A You would normally use a comma with a coordinator such as "and" or "but" between main clauses. But a semicolon makes a sentence easier to read if the main clauses contain commas or are grammatically complicated.
The uses of dash
1) Use a dash or dashes to indicate shifts and hesitations. Shift in tone: The novel-- if one can call it that-appeared in 1994. Unfinished Thought: If the book had a plot-- but a plot would be conventional. Hesitation in dialogue: "Well, by--" Blackburn hesitated and for an answer pointed to the table.
The uses of colon
One soul food chef has a solution: "Soul food doesn't have to be greasy to taste good… Instead of using ham hocks to flavor beans, I use smoked turkey wings. The soulful, smoky taste remains, but without all the fat of pork." (long or formal quotation) It should be noted that depending on your preference, a complete sentence after the colon may begin with a capital letter of a small letter. Just be consistent throughout an essay.
The uses of colon
Use a colon to introduce a concluding explanation, series, appositive, or long or formal quotation.
Sport at any age are beneficial: they keep your pulses hopping. (explanation) At least three soul food dishes are familiar to most Americans: fried chicken, barbecued spareribs, and sweet potatoes. (series) Soul food has one disadvantage: fat. (appositive)
Unit 17
Coordination
Check your understanding
True of false?
F
A coordinate construction is a sequence of semanticallyrelated grammatical units that are similar in form, equal in rank of structure, identical in function and are connected only by coordinators. Coordinate constructions may be on different ranks in grammatical hierarchy; they may be a sequence of coordinated words, phrases, or clauses. When a sequence contains three or more coordinate items, the series is usually written with commas following each item except the final one which is preceded by a coordinator (usually "and" or "or").
They are in danger of extinction; because there is an encroaching development. U They are in danger of extinction, because there is an encroaching development.
Welfare and Medicaid reside at the Department of Health and Human Services; food stamps at Agriculture; rent subsidies at Housing and Urban Development; unemployment insurance at Labor; and tax credits at Treasury.
T
Acceptable or unacceptable?
It is one thing to be dignified and detached, it is quite anther to be downright rude. U It is one thing to be dignified and detached; it is quite anther to be downright rude. His hair was white and stood up wildly on his head, nevertheless I was struck by a singular neatness in his appearance. U
F
F
T
ቤተ መጻሕፍቲ ባይዱ
Besides the comma, the semicolon and the colon can also function as coordinating devices; the semicolon coordinates by contrast, and the colon by amplification. Semantically considered, English coordinators can be described under three headings: coordinators denoting "addition", represented by "and"; coordinators denoting "alternation", represented by "or"; and coordinators denoting "contrast", represented by "but".